When the men's basketball team squares off against Michigan State in Indianapolis this weekend for the Final Four, the student section will be awash in Duke blue—perhaps with a touch of rainbow.
Several students involved in campus LGBTQ groups plan to distribute rainbow ribbons or stickers for the game, as a sign of solidarity in light of Indiana's recent religious freedom law, the Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The law allows businesses to refuse services to anyone whose personal choices contradict the religious beliefs of the proprietor, and it has been widely criticized as being anti-LGBTQ. By wearing rainbow stickers or ribbons, students will be able to make a statement about their opposition of the law and their support of the LGBTQ community, said Cameron Platt, a second-year MBA candidate in the Fuqua School of Business and the president of Fuqua Pride.
"We can be vocal and visible about it," Platt said, adding that he hopes some students will bring signs to the game expressing their dissatisfaction with the law. "Duke can bring the moral high ground and show that we're supportive of the LGBTQ community."
Undergraduate and graduate students were eligible to win tickets to the game through a lottery, and many will be traveling to Indianapolis on chartered buses. While on the buses, a group of students will hand out the rainbow ribbons or stickers with a slip of paper explaining the law, Platt said.
"To have some sort of visual display of solidarity at the event can be really impactful," said senior Daniel Kort, president of Blue Devils United.
The law has attracted criticism from a variety of political and civil rights groups, and with college basketball's most prominent event in Indiana this weekend, a number of figures in the sports world have been vocal as well. The NCAA, which is headquartered in Indianapolis, released a statement last Thursday speaking out against the new legislation. Wednesday afternoon, head coach Mike Krzyzewski issued a joint statement with the other three Final Four coaches—Tom Izzo of Michigan State, John Calipari of Kentucky and Bo Ryan of Wisconsin—expressing concern about the law.
The statement came two days after Duke issued a statement of its own speaking out against the law.
"It's comforting to know that the University is thinking about LGBTQ students in evaluating this policy," Kort said.
Some members of local LGBTQ communities have called for Duke to boycott the Final Four altogether. But to do so would not be fair to the team and fans, Platt said, adding that a visual display of protest can be quite powerful.
"We have limited control over Indiana's actions right now, but we can at least show our support for the LGBTQ community there and work for change moving forward," Platt said.
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